What to do after a 5k?

IndigoVA
IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've gotten to the point where I can finish a 5K pretty comfortably. I don't feel like I'm going to die at the end. However, I'm still pretty slow. My best time is around 34 minutes (on a treadmill, might be better in an actual race). I'm wondering where to go from here. Is it better to focus on running the 5k faster, or should I focus on running the same pace, but for a longer distance? Ideally I suppose it would be some combination of the two, but I'm curious to know what others did at this point.
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Replies

  • gatorflyer
    gatorflyer Posts: 536 Member
    I would probably work on either getting a quicker time (if that's important to you), or start building up endurance and work on a 10K.
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
    Do you do lower body lifting? I do triathlons, and as soon as I started doing weighted squats and lunges, my mile time improved phenomenally!
  • JoAnn73
    JoAnn73 Posts: 161 Member
    upgrade to B210K PRO
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
    Do you do lower body lifting? I do triathlons, and as soon as I started doing weighted squats and lunges, my mile time improved phenomenally!

    Not as much as I should. That's a good tip!
  • dannyweatherly
    dannyweatherly Posts: 12
    I think one of the things you should do is enter a race! You will surprise yourself on race day with how well you do. The racing community is fantastic, with lots of support all over the place. After that, i would consider working towards an 8K, or if you like the 5K distance, then trying to get it a bit faster at a time.
  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    That's for you to decide :)

    Some people are long-distance runners (ME!) and enjoy that much more than shorter races like the 5k. For me, that's barely enough time for me to get into my stride. You could try a 10k and see how you like it and sign up for anohter 5k and see if your time improves. Either way, it's great that you've completed a 5k and still want to run!
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    Quicker time or 10K! :)
  • agleckle
    agleckle Posts: 235 Member
    Do you do lower body lifting? I do triathlons, and as soon as I started doing weighted squats and lunges, my mile time improved phenomenally!

    So true! My half marathon time went from 2:24:32 to 2:04:47 when I didnt do anything different to my running program, but rather I added in more strength training like squats and lunges!



    Edited for spelling.
  • mamitosami
    mamitosami Posts: 531 Member
    It really depends on what you want. I went for distance, not speed, I'm just not fast and don't think I ever will be, so I like distances. I went from 5 to 10 to a half. I'm training for my second half now... Pick what you feel you'd be good at and 'run' with it!! Enjoy!!

    Edited to add: this is not to say you can't do both--of course I am aiming to improve my time on my half, but as far as fast 5K's go, I'm just always going to be too slow to compete (with anyone but myself!!).
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Definitely try to run it faster. You'll get a better calorie burn, and you'll build up your endurance so you can train for 10k or further!
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
    Great question! I'm in the same boat!!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    10k would be wicked... Lol x
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
    I ran a Turkey Trot last Thanksgiving, back when my best treadmill time was 40 minutes. I ran the race in 35. I've signed up for another race next month, so I'm curious to know what my time will be. I have dreams of running a marathon some day, so maybe I should focus on the 10K.
  • RAFValentina
    RAFValentina Posts: 1,231 Member
    You can do both! I started running for longer and that also helped me reduce my time. Why not trying to double the distance? It's only going to be about an hours workout so is fantastic and will get your time down in no time due to the fitness improvements!!!
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    5km has been my go to race for 16 years, so that's my answer ;)

    I throw some duathlons in there, and maybe some half relays. But after that, I do more 5k's
  • sonyachan
    sonyachan Posts: 518 Member
    Definitely get out and do a 5K race. Your time is better than mine and I'm moving on to a 10K. I'm doing the bridge to 10K, but I'm doing Hal Higdon's 10k training for the novice. You can find it online. It incorporates strength training and cross training. I am having good results from it and naturally starting to run a little faster. :)
  • jirocpa
    jirocpa Posts: 36 Member
    While it's fun to push a little harder and go faster, you may find that it doesn't do it for you. Many people, including myself, work towards faster times, since you'll burn more calories in the same time. However, you may find that a slow steady job is just a great stress relief, and you don't need more than that out of it. Also, as I began to push harder, it's hard to know how quickly to increase, and soon you may be dealing with sore knees or achilles, etc. If you're happy with your time, try going longer. Or you can look up Runner's world on how to get faster safely. After a while, I realized I was never going to win a race, whether a local 5k or a marathon, so I gave up trying to be a speedster and now just go out and run comfortably. No injuries, but lots of de-stressing.

    Just being able to progress from 5k to 10k to a half is a great accomplishment. People are impressed by the distance; most if not all will not ever ask about your time or pace.
  • Happyguy
    Happyguy Posts: 90 Member
    Get outside, do a 5k with a bunch of other runners.

    Then train for a 10k.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    My advice- you need to run a 5K outdoors. Totally different than running on a treadmill Once you improve your time and it is effortless try an 8K. Sometimes they are hard to find but, pushes you a little bit more.


    enjoy
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    Do you do lower body lifting? I do triathlons, and as soon as I started doing weighted squats and lunges, my mile time improved phenomenally!

    So true! My half marathon time went from 2:24:32 to 2:04:47 when I didnt do anything different to my running program, but rather I added in more strength training like squats and lunges!



    Edited for spelling.

    That's a massive improvement! WTG!!
  • ryno0618
    ryno0618 Posts: 361
    Simultaneous running goals are smart. Now that you can comfortably do a 5k on the treadmill at 34 minutes look at signing up for charity races. So much fun.

    Then set up a new running schedule. Work both distance, going further but slower pace. And work to improve speed, doing walk/sprint intervals instead of steady pace jogging. A good training schedule may look something like this...

    Day 1: Interval Training. 2 miles of Intervals (walk 1 minute, run/sprint 1 minute) switching back and forth for the 2 miles.

    Day 2: Steady state comfortable run. For you this might be your 5k at 34 minutes.

    Day 3: Tempo Run. Run 1 or 2 miles as quickly as you can.

    Day 4: Intervals again.

    Day 5: Long Slow Run. Go at a slower pace, but increase distance each week. 4 miles, 4.5 miles. 5 miles, 6 miles etc

    A schedule like this might have you running M-T-R-S with W off for rest day and choose between Sa or Su off for rest day.
  • GateCrasher1
    GateCrasher1 Posts: 108 Member
    Captain obvious thinks a 10K is in order.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    This is entirely up to you! Either way you decide to lean towards is fine!
  • LastMinuteMama
    LastMinuteMama Posts: 590 Member
    I think one of the things you should do is enter a race! You will surprise yourself on race day with how well you do. The racing community is fantastic, with lots of support all over the place. After that, i would consider working towards an 8K, or if you like the 5K distance, then trying to get it a bit faster at a time.

    ^^^^This, then go for the 10K and after that sign up for Tough Mudder...that's what I did anyway : ) I love to keep challenging myself. But if you enjoy the running definitely keep at it to go faster or longer!
  • caramia311
    caramia311 Posts: 49 Member
    Start doing training that would allow you to run a longer race (like a 10k). You will be increasing distance you are running, which will invariably result in a lowering of your 5k time.

    Agree with the others on running outside.
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
    Thanks for all the tips. I have 2 small children, which is why I normally run on the treadmill. Pushing 100lbs of kids and stroller is a little more than I can handle!
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
    I did both. When I finished the Couch to 5K program, I went back and repeated the program, but increasing my speeds from walking to a light jog, and from jogging to running faster, in an effort to help increase my speed. That actually worked really well.

    Then I did the Bridge to 10K program to increase my distance, and ran my first 10K race last May. It rocked! The B210K is a great program to increase from a 5K to a 10K.

    Now I'm using another training program to train up a half-marathon. Later in the summer I'll be doing a 200 mile relay with about 11 other people.

    There are lots of programs out there that can help you build on what you have. Active.com and Runner's World have some good resources for training.

    Good luck!
  • thekiminat0r
    thekiminat0r Posts: 1
    Try the best of both worlds:
    A couple of times a week, work on running shorter distances at a faster pace, and once a week work on running further, but at a slower pace. On your slow runs, increase your distance a little each week and before you know it, you'll be running 10K in your sleep and your 5K pace will increase naturally.
  • swillis21
    swillis21 Posts: 251 Member
    I would suggest running some HIIT runs on the treadmill (or outdoors too) High Intensity Interval Training :) Basically you run 90% of a full out sprint for 30 sec then you walk around 3.5 mph for 30 sec. You repeat this 12-15 times for a really good workout. And then when you run a 5k on another day your time improves a lot! Plus the HIIT runs are really fun and exhilarating I think :) You can google them more if you like, but they do burn a lot of calories in a short workout. Also I would suggest as another poster said - include some lower (and upper) body strength training. I am doing Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred and I find it helps me get a all over workout in on my off running days :) Best of luck with your goals!
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
    Start doing training that would allow you to run a longer race (like a 10k). You will be increasing distance you are running, which will invariably result in a lowering of your 5k time.

    Agree with the others on running outside.

    This sounds right.

    I haven't yet run my first 5k, but I'm working on increasing my overall distance per week. I also use a HRM to help me stay in a reasonable zone during exercise.
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